SBC SUMMIT MALTA 2026: April 29, 2026. Same venue. Same crowd. But a very different energy compared to Day One.
Day Two shifted towards practical application, with sessions running under three tracks Marketing in Action, Product in Practice, and Policy to Practice. Day One was all big debates. Day Two was about sitting down and actually working things out via workshops, hands-on sessions, and real examples people could take back to their teams.
AI Is Everywhere. But Is It Helping or Hiding Problems?
This was the conversation that hit different on Day Two.
Roberta Nicholls, Head of Chapter at AiCollective, said something that the room needed to hear. AI is exposing and amplifying problems in a company, not fixing them. Marketers are bringing AI into their workflows faster than any other team in iGaming. But if the tools do not talk to each other, the mess just gets bigger and faster. Speed is why AI feels good. But speed also means mistakes travel faster too.
MGA Told Operators that AI Fairness Is Not a One-Time Job
Francois Piccione, Chief Technology Officer at the Malta Gaming Authority, made it clear that operators need to treat the AI charter as a core ongoing priority not a box to tick once and forget. His specific point was sharp. An AI model built to catch problem gambling, might start flagging players, just because they play differently not because they have a problem. And the model keeps learning the wrong thing over time. A model that looked balanced six months ago might not be balanced today. This is not a future problem. It is happening right now, and operators are not checking for it.
What Will Casino Look Like in 2036? The Audience Became the Panel
This was one of the most interesting format changes at the event. Hosted by Arjan Korstjens and Dan Phillips, the session flipped things around instead of speakers on stage, audience members took turns sharing their views on where the casino sector will be in ten years.
Some of the predictions that came out:
China was suggested as the biggest market by 2036 historically anti-gambling, yes, but one audience member made the argument that gambling moves like a wave. It passed through the West, and now it is heading East. Another view pushed back, pointing to LatAm specifically Brazil as the real battleground, with the US and LatAm likely competing for the top spot by 2036.
No final answer. But the fact that the audience drove the whole discussion made it feel more honest than a typical panel.
Live Casino on the Show Floor
Live dealer tables were running on the expo floor throughout Day Two, with a lot of conversations around how to grow the social side of live casino and bring it to new audiences. The Blackjack Lounge inside the venue stayed busy all day. Live casino is not going anywhere. The question being asked is how do you make it feel less like a product and more like an experience?
Affiliates and the 80/20 Reality
A session on affiliate marketing brought up something most brands already know but do not want to say out loud. When affiliate audits are run, around 20% of affiliates are generating 80% of the ROI yet brands are still running with 300, 400, even 500 affiliate partners.
The point was simple: build fewer, better relationships. And if you are not building a brand alongside affiliate work, the results will not last.
The Evening: VIP Dinners and the Official Party
C-level operators were hosted at a VIP dinner at Caviar & Bull, while affiliates had their own separate dinner at Sole by Tarragon. After that, the SBC Summit Malta Official Party kicked off at Infinity by Hugo from 8pm to 2am. Day Three is the last day. It is all workshops no panels, no keynotes. Just people in rooms trying to turn everything they heard over two days into something they can actually use. The SBC Awards Europe are tonight at Xara Lodge too. 35 awards. Hosted by Alison Bender. That will be a full evening on its own.
Also Read: SBC Summit Malta 2026 – First Day Unfolds
